The Season 



143 



THE SEASON 



XXV. February 15 to April 15, 1921 



Boston Rec.ion. — Following an un- 

 usually mild winter, this has proved the 

 earliest spring New England has known 

 for years; not even in the notable spring 

 of 1910 did the vegetation develop so 

 rapidly. The present spring rivals that 

 historic one of 1775 when, during the 

 battle of Lexington, the grass on the Com- 

 mon is reported to have waved in the 

 breeze. 



Both from an ornithological and a 

 botanical point of view, it has been inter- 

 esting to compare this year with the re- 

 markably late season of 1920. On Feb- 

 ruary 20, 192 1, just when we had begun 

 to look for Bluebirds and Song Sparrows 

 (the weather had been mild and for a week 

 the ground had been practically bare), 

 there came a foot and a half of snow, the 

 heaviest snowfall ever recorded here for a 

 single day. The delay in the progress of 

 the season was short, however, for after 

 ten days of warm sunlight the ground was 

 bare again, hylas began to sing, and dur- 

 ing the week following March 6 the first 

 group of migrant birds entered the region 

 in full numbers — Song Sparrows, Flickers, 

 and IMeadowIarks were distributed through- 

 out the country; Blackbirds, Red-winged 

 and Rusty, and Bronzed Crackles came in 

 immense flocks, "clatt'rin' in tall trees," 

 and with them came Bluebirds and Robins 

 (feeding on the ground thus early), and 

 soon afterward Fox Sparrows arrived (on 

 the nth, before their average date). Close 

 on the heels of this group a few Phoebes 

 and Cowbirds appeared (on the 13th, 

 record dates) and within a few days the 

 latter bird was well represented in the 

 region, fully ten days before its average 

 date of arrival. A year ago at this time 

 the ground was completely covered with 

 snow and no birds had appeared. 



During the mild weather of the last two 

 weeks in March the temperature rose to 

 between 70° and 80° on four days; blos- 

 soms and leaves burst forth three weeks 

 earlier than thej- did last season; the birds 



pushed northward in such numbers tha 

 new arrivals were noted almost every morn- 

 ing; the Vesper and Field Sparrows and 

 the Fish Hawk appeared on early record 

 dates, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 

 Yellow Palm Warblers (both early in 

 arriving) are now passing through in full 

 numbers, singing freely. 



Thus far in April there ha\e been very 

 few cold days to interrupt the growth of 

 vegetation and the migration of the birds. 

 Chipping Sparrows have been here for ten 

 days, Bluebirds are incubating, and the 

 Robin has begun to build "his adobe 

 house;" the country presents a picture ol 

 mid-May with grass of vivid green, blos- 

 soming fruit trees, and many spring flowers 

 in bloom, and today, the loth, appeared 

 an anomaly, a June-bug in April ! — - 

 WiNSOR M. Tyler, Lexington, Mass. 



New York Region. — The end of an 

 otherwise open winter was punctuated by 

 a very heavy snowstorm on February 20. 



A question which naturally arises con- 

 cerning summer birds which linger here 

 and there into a mild winter like the past 

 one, is whether they actually succeed in 

 hanging on until spring. A BrownThrasher 

 observed at Bayside, L. I., February 27, 

 by H. E. Bounce, and which had been 

 reported to him in the same locality about 

 three weeks, and again ten days previous, 

 had weathered this storm successfully. 



The most notable feature of the period 

 under consideration was early and pro- 

 tracted movement of water-fowl, and un- 

 usual abundance of fresh- water species, in- 

 cluding records of rarer forms (Overpeck 

 Marshes, N. J. — Griscom). Canada Geese 

 wintered on the south shore of Long Island 

 in fair numbers, which were augmented in 

 February. A flock flying over somewhat 

 east of north in migration was observed in 

 February (Bayside, L. I. — H. E. Bounce) 

 and about March 20 (Mineola, L. 1. — 

 Griscom and J. T. Nichols). Up the Hud- 

 son Bucks were unusually numerous about 



